Sports Physical Therapy

The purpose of our residency program in Sports Physical Therapy is to provide the physical therapist with an opportunity to develop advanced competencies in the specific area of practice that encompasses Sports Physical Therapy.

The residency program will seek to develop the clinicians theoretical rationale, evaluation and treatment skills, and clinical reasoning processes in order to promote the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries in an active patient population. The physical therapist will gain clinical experience under the mentorship of clinical faculty who are board certified in the area of Sports Physical Therapy (SCS) and through their involvement as academic staff within the program in Physical Therapy at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Interaction of the resident as a member of the Sports Medicine team will allow exposure and experience with other health care professionals; including physicians, athletic trainers and physician assistants.

The residency program will have a strong research component that will seek to enhance the clinician’s abilities to explore, critically analyze and apply clinical research both in their practice patterns and in the completion of a clinical research project.

Through a system of structured learning opportunities, the residency program will strive to prepare the physical therapist for the successful completion of their requirements to sit for and pass their board examinations as clinical specialists in Sports Physical Therapy (SCS) through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Residency Description

The program involves a one-year experience in a dynamic sports physical therapy setting incorporating a half-time clinical practice (20 hours/week), didactic classroom and teaching experiences in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy Curriculum at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, and established mentored experiences in advanced clinical practice, athletic training and clinical research.

Facilities

Gundersen Sports Medicine is a regional based sports medicine practice that includes clinics in Onalaska, Wis. and Winona, Minn. The clinic is affiliated and utilizes the resources of Gundersen Health System, which serves as the Western Academic Campus of the University of Wisconsin Medical School and the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse program in Physical Therapy. The residency program has also established clinical affiliations with Vail Valley Medical Center and the University of South Dakota departments of Physical Therapy and Athletics to provide additional clinical experiences.

Coverage Affiliations

Full time athletic training services for five area high schools, and one college; high school visitations, and game coverage for 42 area high schools, and game coverage for two universities.